Destiny
by Tahiri Solo
Summary: This is an Anakin/Tahiri fic about a conversation they have on the Errant Venture right after Rebirth. There aren't enough Anakin/Tahiri fics out there!!!


Destiny  
By Tahiri Solo  
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Disclaimer: All the characters, places, and such mentioned in this belong to Lucasfilm. Not to me. I own nothing, and am in no way making any money off of this story. Also, if this story bears any resemblance to stories written by others, that is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.   
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Anakin Solo was sitting on his bunk on the Errant Venture, lost in thought.  
  
A sharp knock on his door jolted him out of his reverie, and he sighed. He hadn't wanted to be disturbed. "C'mon in."  
  
His disappointment at being interrupted vanished instantly when Tahiri opened the door and walked into his stateroom. "We need to talk," she announced. "About what happened in that locker."  
  
Anakin blushed slightly, but nodded. "You're right. We do. Here, sit down." He indicated a spot on the bed beside him.   
  
She sat down next to him, nervously biting a fingernail. "I'm really nervous, as you can undoubtedly tell, so I am just going to spit this out, okay?" she said, not meeting his eyes. "Why did you kiss me exactly? Because you thought we were going to die? Was that it?"  
  
"No," Anakin answered simply. "I kissed you because I've wanted to do that for the longest time, but I was too afraid to do it before. I didn't know if it would make you mad, or worse, make you not want to be my friend anymore. I couldn't stand to lose you, Tahiri." He reached over and took her hands, staring earnestly into her eyes. "But when there was a chance we might die; well, I wasn't going to die without letting you know how I feel."  
  
Tahiri blushed and looked away.   
  
"Anakin," she finally whispered, "we should really break this off now and go back to just being friends."  
  
"Why would we want to do that?" Anakin asked her softly.   
  
Tahiri blushed harder. "Because - because . . . we just can't."  
  
"And why not? We may be young, Tahiri, but I know how I feel. You mean the galaxy to me."  
  
"Well, your feelings are wrong!" Tahiri cried suddenly. "You shouldn't be having those kinds of feelings about me!"  
  
Fear struck Anakin's heart. What had he done? Was he going to lose her?  
  
Tahiri sprang up off the bed and started pacing. "I'm too young. I screw everything up. You always win; I always lose. You keep having to come and rescue me because I'm too stupid to stay out of trouble! And you almost died rescuing me! I can't let you do that anymore!"  
  
She suddenly stopped pacing and stood still, her back to him, and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "I'm not good enough for you."  
  
At her words, Anakin immediately got up and walked over to her. She tried to move away, but he put his hands on her shoulders and held her firmly.   
  
"Tahiri, what in the worlds makes you say that? You should know that's not true!"  
  
"But it is true," she whispered miserably, tears in her eyes.  
  
"No, it's not," Anakin whispered back, stroking her cheek.   
  
He hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "I love you, Tahiri."  
  
Tahiri's eyes widened hugely, and she gasped. "You what?!"  
  
"You heard me," he whispered huskily. "I love you."  
  
Then he kissed her.  
  
Tahiri caught her breath, then melted against his chest as Anakin softly and carefully caressed her mouth with his.  
  
Anakin could feel her trembling, and he drew her into his arms and held her tightly. He kissed her harder and felt her go limp in his arms; Tahiri was now shaking uncontrollably.   
  
Anakin suddenly sensed her lightheadedness, and gently pulled back before she did something drastic - like faint.   
Tahiri gasped. "Anakin, I - I, oh, I'm dizzy. I think I'm going to fall down."  
  
Anakin chuckled softly and picked her up, cradling her against his chest. "Better?"  
Tahiri didn't reply - he wasn't sure she was even able to. She merely stared up at him with huge round eyes.  
  
The surprised look on her face melted Anakin's heart. Still holding her close, he stroked her cheek. "I love you so much," he whispered, feeling a strange new feeling so powerful that it actually hurt. He never wanted to let her go. He just wanted to hold her forever.  
  
"I love you too," Tahiri whispered.  
  
Anakin, still overcome by the strange emotion he now realized was love, felt a lump in his throat.   
  
Unable to do anything else, Anakin kissed her again.  
  
Tahiri began trembling again as Anakin's lips tenderly traveled over hers, filling her with the strangest feeling. It felt like a cross between butterflies and - love?   
  
Who'd ever have guessed? Tahiri thought, feeling giddy. That I'd be lucky enough to fall in love with my best friend?  
  
She reached her hand up and threaded her fingers through his hair. In response, he brought her even closer to him. Tahiri could now feel Anakin's heart beating beneath her shoulder.   
  
Anakin finally pulled away to see her face. "I never would have guessed, back when I first met you," Anakin murmured, "that I would be so in love with you today."  
  
"Me either," she replied softly. "But I'm certainly glad the universe decided to surprise us."  
  
Anakin laughed, then sobered. He gently put her back down; Tahiri protested this action by snuggling up against his chest. "What is it?" she whispered, sensing that he was suddenly very serious. She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.   
  
Anakin wrapped one arm around her; with his other hand, he stroked her hair. "Master Ikrit told me when I went back to the academy that he thought his coming to Yavin 4 might have been more than just the trapped children. He said maybe it was to see the birth of something new in the two of us, and to do whatever he could to help that birth arrive. It made a chill go down my spine. Now I know what he was talking about." He kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Here's here with us now," Tahiri said abruptly. "I can feel him. He's happy. Very happy."  
  
Anakin took a deep breath; he could feel it too.   
  
The presence of the ancient master wrapped around them both, almost gleaming with happiness and seeming to say, "And this is the real reason I came to Yavin 4 so many centuries ago. To see you two joining together in this way. The Force chose you for each other. Not many people get that. You two are so lucky. You were destined for each other."  
  
Tahiri and Anakin looked at each other.   
  
They both knew he was right.   
  
  
  
A/N: This story is dedicated to my friend Angela (Laughing girl86) I finally got it done!! LOL!! I'm soo glad we met!! We are so much alike it's scary!! I hope you - and everyone else! - like this fic!! T&A4EVA!!!!!!  



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